Raya Yarbrough
Yarbrough with husband Bear McCreary in 2019, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Raya Zahkiya Yarbrough
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: December 23, 1979
Ethnicity:
*father – African-American, likely some Louisiana Creole [African, French]
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Raya Yarbrough is an American singer and songwriter.
She is the daughter of composer Martin Yarbrough and author, screenwriter, and professor Pamela Douglas. Her aunt (father’s sister) is musician, actress, poet, activist, television producer, and author Camille Yarbrough. Raya is married to musician and composer Bear McCreary, with whom she has one child.
Raya’s paternal grandfather was Ernest Burnice Yarbrough (the son of William Yarbrough and Dorie Collier/Couler). Ernest was born in Alabama.
Raya’s paternal grandmother was Ada May/Mae Wheatley (the daughter of Albert Walter Wheatley and Ada Wilkins). Raya’s grandmother Ada was born in Illinois. Albert was born in Ohio, the son of Henry Wheatley and Mary Ann McCoy. Raya’s great-grandmother Ada was born in Ohio, the daughter of James Wilkins and Josephine Balaire/Bellaire, whose father was from either Louisiana or Haiti.
Raya’s maternal grandfather was Irving Allen Dodes (the son of Jacob Dodes and Anne/Anna Willens/Wilens). Irving was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents. Jacob was the son of David Israel Dodes and Sarah Baron/Sure, who was born in Odessa. Anne was the daughter of Solomon Willens/Wilens and Fanny Margolin.
Raya’s maternal grandmother was Dorothy Virginia Bardach (the daughter of Monroe Paul Lederer Bardach and Lucile May Lowenberg). Dorothy was born in New York, to a Jewish family. Monroe was born in New York, the son of Simon Bardach, who was from Austria, and of Josephine Lederer, whose parents were from Bohemia. Lucile was born in Virginia, the daughter of Harry Lee Lowenberg, whose father was from Germany, and whose mother was the daughter of parents from Germany; and of Leonora S. Leterman, whose parents were from Germany, her father from Württemberg, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, and her mother from Achim, Lower Saxony.
Sources: Obituary of Yara’s paternal grandmother, Ada May/Mae (Wheatley) Yarbrough – http://chicagotribune.newspapers.com
Genealogy of Raya’s mother – https://www.geni.com
Obituary of Raya’s maternal grandfather, Irving Allen Dodes – https://www.nytimes.com
Marriage record of Raya’s maternal grandparents, Irving Allen Dodes and Dorothy Virginia Bardach – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Raya’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob Dodes and Anne/Anna Willens/Wilens – https://www.familysearch.org
*father – African-American, likely some Louisiana Creole [African, French]
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Raya’s maternal grandfather was Irving Allen Dodes (the son of Jacob Dodes and Anne Willens/Wilens). Irving was born in New York, to parents from Russia. Jacob was the son of Israel Dodes and Sarah Baron. Anne was the daughter of Solomon Willens/Wilens and Fanny Margolin.
Raya’s maternal grandmother was Dorothy Virginia Bardach (the daughter of Monroe Lederer Bardach and Lucile May Lowenberg). Dorothy was born in New York. Monroe was born in New York, the son of Simon Bardach, who was from Austria, and of Josephine Lederer, whose parents were from Bohemia. Lucile was born in Virginia, the daughter of Harry Lee Lowenberg, whose father was from Germany, and whose mother was the daughter of parents from Germany; and of Leonora Leterman, whose parents were from Germany.
Obituary of Raya’s maternal grandfather, Irving Allen Dodes – https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/17/obituaries/irving-allen-dodes-78-mathematics-educator.html
Marriage record of Raya’s maternal grandparents, Irving Allen Dodes and Dorothy Virginia Bardach – https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBB-RNNF
Marriage record of Raya’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob Dodes and Anne Willens/Wilens – https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:243T-3HN